If she just kept moving forward, just took another step, held on a little longer…then she'd overcome death itself, remembered by everyone…
A little more.
...
Faster.
...
Faster...
...
Fa—?
Huh?
I… can't speed up anymore.
Ah, so this is it. My life… has finally reached its end.
Twilight Song drifted hazily, clearly seeing the muddy ground beneath her. She must be kneeling now, collapsed into a tiny, helpless heap.
The entire world had slowed down drastically—so incredibly slowly…slow enough to seem frozen, like someone had pressed pause on reality itself.
Was this the famed final flashback? No, she didn't see any familiar memories; she was still here, still in this world, only gradually growing colder...
So cold…
Ah, who knew that her premonition would come true like this? Truly the worst-case scenario.
What would happen after she fell?
Mejiro Bright and Mejiro Palmer would probably stand frozen, unable to comprehend what had happened. Would Ardan cover McQueen's eyes? I'm sorry—I couldn't endure until the end.
Mejiro Ramonu…
Would she leap over the stands and rush onto the track? Would she intervene directly?
Twilight Song couldn't find an answer. Her body had lost all strength, as if the last bit of warmth had been washed away by the rain.
And Dancing Brave? Haha, I must've really scared you, right? When I said I'd stake my life on this race, I truly meant it.
That I'd really give up my life on the track.
I'm sorry… I'm so cruel.
Twilight Song forced open her weary eyes. Her vision was blurred, but she clearly saw bright red droplets spreading and falling into the muddy earth beneath her.
Blood mingled with rainwater.
The rain continued relentlessly, drumming against her body, sliding down her face like tears. But she couldn't tell if they were salty—was she crying, or was it just rain?
No, I can't… I really can't.
Dying pathetically, alone on the track without even placing first?
What would people say about this Arc in the future?
"Twilight Song. Runaway. Died without placing."
That would be humiliating. No, absolutely not. At least she couldn't just die right here. It'd be better if she fell while moving, rather than collapsing helplessly…
No, she refused to die so disgracefully. Absolutely refused! Come on, body, move! So what if the system timer has run out? So what if my life has ended?
Sorry, Death, but I plan on taking a few more steps... You can't catch me yet.
After several frozen seconds, she felt a tiny bit of strength return—maybe a final burst of energy before the end?
Stumbling to her feet in that silent world, Twilight Song moved forward step by step, barely standing.
Good… I can still walk?
Sorry, my new partner, even if we were only together for a year, please bear with me one last time.
Twilight Song drew a deep breath, gathering every last bit of strength she had.
"Don't do it, Ruka!"
Mejiro Ramonu's desperate voice pierced through the rain—the second sound Twilight Song heard clearly.
But it was already too late. The white-haired filly, soaked through, her wet mane plastered to her body, had opened her arms wide and defied death itself.
She let out a fierce, defiant roar.
Die here, like this?
She refused!
She absolutely refused!
"Twilight Song—Twilight Song has gotten back up even after coughing up blood! She—she's started running again! My god—oh my god! No—no, that's right! We're here to witness, to celebrate, to crown our new empress! Our Ruka! Our Arc champion! Everyone, why are you still silent?!"
The announcer's roaring voice shattered the stunned silence, and after that brief hesitation, the crowd sent forth what might have been their final cheers.
It was clear to everyone—this might be the very last race Twilight Song ever ran.
Because what she coughed up wasn't just blood, but tiny fragments too.
Yet this knowledge made Mejiro Ramonu's heart shatter. Painfully, bitterly, she was left behind—no matter how fast she chased, even at the peak of her strength, she could only stare helplessly at Twilight Song's back.
She couldn't stop Twilight Song from burning her very life away—even though the filly was already riddled with wounds, living on borrowed time.
But an Uma Musume who charged toward victory with her dying breath was undeniably this generation's true queen.
Everyone clearly saw the brilliant silver-white aura engulf Twilight Song's body—every Uma Musume saw it, every human saw it. They all bore witness to a miracle.
The filly who'd collapsed and then risen again, slowly stumbling forward before exploding into a desperate, final sprint.
Twilight Song couldn't perceive anything clearly anymore—only faintly hearing countless voices calling her name, cheering, encouraging her.
So many people are still waiting for me to win.
Ardan-neesan is still running alongside me. She's already carried so much for my sake…
If nothing else, then for those fans, for Ardan-neesan, she absolutely couldn't accept defeat.
If I can stand, I can walk. And if I can walk, I can run!
If she could still run, she wouldn't accept losing!
So what if my time has run out? If I can still move forward, I'll leave death itself behind. As long as I keep running, Twilight Song won't give up.
In these final moments, she decided to abandon everything else and chase only time and victory.
Defeat was not something Twilight Song would accept.
An overwhelming wave of strength—perhaps a final illusion at the edge of death—flooded her body. But the cause was no longer important; all she knew was one thing clearly:
She still had the right to run.
So she burned herself one last time, freely and fiercely!
My running is meant to surpass the limits of time itself.
Twilight Song continued to crash through the heavy rain, reaching speeds faster than she'd ever run before—beyond anyone's imagination, beyond anyone's reach.
In the eyes of everyone watching, the filly, shimmering with silver-white radiance, moved faster than blinking starlight!
Wishes, miracles, the greatest blessing of the Uma Musume—Twilight Song's True [Zone] finally blossomed at this moment, clearly visible even to ordinary eyes!
She dashed, accelerated, gave everything to her final dance—and with the entire world watching, breath held tight, Twilight Song surged past the finish line.
...
...
...
Twilight Song under Mejiro Ramonu's anguished gaze, she collapsed heavily to the ground one final time.